LIVE: Election campaign 2025 – Trainwreck moment Peter Dutton scrambles for an excuse on live TV after he is accused of ‘fabricating’ Russian military move

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is copping backlash over a TV interview in which he claimed the Albanese government dropped the ball on Russia attempting to base military aircraft near Darwin.

Mr Dutton made the alarming claims that Australia’s northern neighbour, Indonesia, had confirmed Russia wanted to move aircraft into their country.

That seemed to be news to the Indonesian government, however, who said it would never consider such a proposal.

‘Have I missed that, has the Indonesian president announced this? That’s not my understanding,’ host Patricia Karvelas said.

Mr Dutton replied that there was ‘commentary I have seen reported from the Indonesian spokesperson’ about the plan.

‘That obviously comes from the administration. There are reports of negotiations or discussions that have taken place between Russia and Indonesia.’

He claimed Foreign Minister Penny Wong and DFAT had made a ‘catastophic error’ if the plan was unknown to them.

Senator Wong responded this morning by saying that ‘Peter Dutton fabricated a statement by the Indonesian president’.

She said the Australian government had confirmed there was no such plan being considered.

‘Now, this is an extraordinary thing for a man who wants to be the prime minister to do – to actually try and verbal the president of Indonesia in order to make a domestic political point. He is simply too reckless and too aggro.

‘We engaged through the appropriate channels – that is, me to the foreign minister, the defence minister to the defence minister, as well as at diplomatic levels, and very quickly we gained the confirmation.’

Speaking in Melbourne this morning, Mr Albanese called Mr Dutton’s comments an ‘extraordinary overreach’.

A curiously photoshopped picture of three Labor heavyweights shared to ALP national president Wayne Swan’s X on Tuesday prompted internet sleuths to get to work.

Tanya Plibersek, Julia Gillard and Mr Swan appeared in the photo smiling side by side, but their location had been clipped out and replaced by a plain white background.

The reason? Look no further than the original picture posted on Tanya Plibersek’s X.

As the AFR’s Hannah Wootton pointed out, the three appear to be inside the very exclusive Qantas Chairman’s Lounge following a Perth event.

The honeycomb pattern on the glass, wood panelling and low ceilings are an uncanny match to the decor of ‘the most exlusive club in the country’.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has previously been scrutinised over his close ties to Qantas and its former boss Alan Joyce.

The airline in recent years was fined more than $100million after the consumer watchdog took it court for selling tickets on flights it had already cancelled.

It also agreed to pay another $120million in compensation to 1820 baggage handlers it illegally sacked during the Covid pandemic.

It’s not particularly good optics for three titans of a party said to represent the working class to be seen lapping up corporate perks which are out of bounds to the masses.

To make matters worse, the event the three had just attended was focused on helping Australians doing it tough in the dual cost of living and housing crises.

No wonder it was photoshopped, though a savvy political advisor would surely have pushed back against the white backdrop, or at least got someone to do a better editing job.

It appears, in that regard, fomer pollies like Mr Swan are on their own.

Peter Dutton has been grilled at his press conference on what the Coalition is offering women as part of their election platform.

Female voters outnumber males – with the SMH’s Olivia Ireland poitning out that in his campaign launch speech, Mr Dutton negelcted the demographic apart from a brief mention about helping women who are in domestic violence situations.

Mr Dutton replied he was ‘offering the chance for them to get a home’ and that his government would make that easier for ‘a young professional woman who has given up’ on home ownership.

He also added that ‘homeless women are at a record level under this government’.

Ireland pushed about what he was doing for working women in industries like education and health.

The Liberal leader said his government would ‘invest more’ in those industries but seemed to struggle with concrete examples.

‘The 25 cent fuel excise reduction is targeted at women driving kids around,’ he said.

A Greens MP has made the move to OnlyFans to try and connect with voters.

Member for Brisbane Stephen Bates has launched a page on the controversial adult-orientated site which gets 28million views from Aussies a month.

As the party’s LGBTIQA+ spokesperson, he is pushing for antiretroviral drugs used to prevent HIV in those at risk of exposure to be provided for free under the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.

The Greens have already announced an election policy to make contraceptives free.

In a cost of living crisis… You shouldn’t have to pay a fortune to be sexually responsible.

Ending HIV is too important to fly under the radar. I campaign on OnlyFans and Grindr because it gets attention. Sometimes you have to make a splash to make people pay attention to the things that matter.

Anthony Albanese kicked off his day at a press conference in Melbourne with Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Mr Albanese drew parallels between Peter Dutton’s recent comments on Indonesia and Scott Morrison’s handling of China relations when he was in office – a period in which the communist superpower imposed huge tariffs on Australian goods.

‘China is responsible for actions which China took,’ Mr Albanese said.

‘But … some of the rhetoric which was given by the Australian government was not conducive towards having a constructive relationship.

‘The $20billion of trade impediments hurt Australians. It hurt the lobster industry in Geraldton, it hurt the barley industry in South Australia and the eastern states, it hurt the wine industry in Margaret River.

‘We have engaged diplomatically, where our approach to China is to cooperate where we can, to deal respectfully, to not dial things up to 11 at every opportunity.

‘To disagree where we must, and we do disagree on a range of issues, but we deal like adults.’

The US government has revealed it is considering trade deals with at least 15 countries following Donald Trump’s announcement last week of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs.

‘We’ve had more than 15 deals, pieces of paper, put on the table – proposals that are actively being considered,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

The specific nations who have offered the deals have not been confirmed by the US government, however, the Wall Street Journal reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is prioritising quick agreements with Australia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Trump previously slapped 25 per cent tarrifs on Australian steel and aluminium and more recently announced another round of 10 per cent tariffs, including on Australian beef.

‘They’re wonderful people but they ban American beef,’ Trump said.

‘Yet, we imported $3billion of Australian beef just last year alone. They won’t take any of ours. They don’t want it because they don’t want it to affect their farmers.

‘And you know what? I don’t blame them, but we’re doing the same thing right now.’

Aussie farmers have reacted with relief, however, with the 10 per cent tariffs not enough to shrink Australia’s record beef exports.